US Police Release Video Of Officers Shooting 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice

Tamir E. Rice, 12, is seen allegedly pointing a pellet gun at the Cudell Recreation Center in Cleveland, Ohio, in this still image from video released by the Cleveland Police Department November 26, 2014. Rice was shot by a patrol officer on Saturday after a 911 call reported someone pointing a gun at people. REUTERS/Cleveland Police Depar

The surveillance video showing U.S. police Officers Frank Garmback (46) and Timothy Loehman (26) shooting a 12-year-old boy was released. The video showed that the rookie officer, responsible for fatally shooting the African-American boy, shot the boy only seconds after he had arrived on the scene.

The video Cleveland police released is black-and-white as well as grainy. Tamir Rice could be seen moving in the Cudell Recreation Center sidewalk even though his movements looked jerky. The Airsoft pistol of the boy that the officers apparently mistook for a real gun is also visible in the video, NBC News reported. The one, who called 911 and informed police about a boy moving around with a pistol in his hand, repeated several times that the weapon could be a fake. However, the dispatcher apparently did not relay the information to the responding officers. The weapon was referred to as "a gun" only. Deputy Chief Ed Tomba said that the officers had the conviction that they were on a "gun run."

Even though there is no audio in the surveillance video, Tomba said that Loehman had yelled at Rice three times. He asked the boy to show his hands which the squad car went closer to the gazebo. Loehman, who joined the force only in March, shot Rice immediately after leaving the car. The 12-year-old was around 10 feet away from him when he apparently tried reaching for the air gun. Loehman ducked behind the police car after shooting Rice while Garmback jumped out of the seat. Tomba said that the release of the video was not meant to blame either Rice or the officers for the incident. "This is not an effort to exonerate, it's not an effort to show the public that anybody did anything wrong. This is a tragic event," he said.

Police Chief Calvin Williams, on the other hand, said that the boy's family had watched the video and supported the decision to release the video. He said that the people should it in mind that it was a 12-year-old involved in the incident.